IBWA Provides Tips for Water Supplies During Hurricane Season

Association underscores need for clean drinking water in affected communities

The International Bottled Water Assn. (IBWA) provided consumers with tips for bottled water and drinking water supplies during this peak period of the hurricane season. IBWA draws upon lessons learned from previous hurricanes and disasters to underscore the need for clean drinking water for affected communities.

The bottled water industry has, over the years, provided hundreds of millions of servings of bottled water to survivors and rescue personnel during natural disasters (e.g. floods, wild fires, hurricanes, boil alerts) and other emergency situations, the association said. IBWA members also delivered tanker trucks of fresh water and 5-gal water cooler bottles to those in need.

IBWA is a partner with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) and assists in producing the annual National Preparedness Month activities. This national recognition, which is held each September, encourages all Americans to prepare for emergencies in their homes, businesses and communities.

According to DHS guidelines, all households should maintain an emergency supply of water--at least 1 gal per person per day for three days--for drinking, cooking and personal hygiene--in the event that public drinking water service is interrupted or if its safety is compromised during an emergency event.

IBWA provides the following tips to consumers to help ensure the safety of emergency water supplies:
• Store bottled water at a constant room temperature or cooler, if possible;
• Store bottled water out of direct sunlight;
• Keep the water containers, as you would any other food products, away from solvents and chemicals such as gasoline, paint thinners, household cleaners and dry cleaning chemicals;
• If consumers choose to store tap water in their own containers, select appropriate containers and disinfect them before use. Never use a container that once held toxic substances;
• The same bottled water storage recommendations (items 1 and 3) also apply to tap water stored in containers; and
• You should replace stored tap water every six months. The American Red Cross and the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency offer tips for treating water at www.redcross.org. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which regulates bottled water as a packaged food product, there is no shelf life for properly stored and safety-sealed bottled water, IBWA said.